16 Mile run: Revenge is sweet

16 Mile run
Total time: 02:32:39 PB (old 02:48:45)
Chicago Lakefront

I came into this 16 miler with a mission- to seek revenge on the crummy 16 miler I ran back on 8/23 in the extreme heat and humidity that nearly killed me!

The weather was cooler this time around and it was a beautiful morning to get out there. My strategy was to take one minute walk breaks every 5K to take in fluids early on, and then run through the 2nd half at my marathon pace. This is pretty close to my strategy for the Chicago Marathon in Oct.

It worked.

I beat my old time by nearly 15 minutes and I felt great the whole way through, especially during the second half. I started to cramp along my left quad near the end, but I was able to control it and finished strong.

A unique problem I've been running into on my longer runs as of late is that I'm coated with salt all over my skin when I'm finished. I've heard of this happening to runners, and it's only started happening to me within the past month on warmer days. For now it's more of an annoyance and it isn't causing a problem. I'll have to experiment with my electrolyte intake from here on in.

I really needed this one. It has boosted my confidence leading up to October, now with less than a month to go!

This coming week is a recovery week:

Mon: 9 miles easy
Tues: Cross train
Wed: 9 miles
Thur: 2 miles
Fri: Rest
Sat: 9 miles

I also decided to sign up for the CARA Nike Ready to Run 20 Miler on Sept. 21 to celebrate my last 20 mile run before Chicago. It will be a nice change of pace to train with a group in a controlled environment.